syncopated

American  

[sing-kuh-pey-tid, sin-] / ˈsɪŋ kəˌpeɪ tɪd, ˈsɪn- /

adjective

1. marked by syncopation.

   syncopated rhythm.

2. cut short; abbreviated.

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Other Word Forms

• unsyncopated adjective

Etymology

Origin of syncopated

1655–65; < Late Latin syncopāt ( us ) ( see syncopate) + -ed ²

Explanation

In music, rhythms or beats that are unexpected or sound "off" in an interesting way are syncopated. Typically, a syncopated beat puts the stress where it wouldn't usually be. When your ear is expecting a weak beat and instead hears a strong or stressed one, it's syncopated. This adjective can also describe rhythms that are uneven or that disturb the flow of music and take it in a different direction. As a verb, syncopate means to make music with this kind of rhythm and also to "shorten words by omitting syllables," from the Greek root synkope, "contraction of a word."

Example Sentences

Standing in a line, they fall into syncopated steps, slowly coming together for a single breath and hunch.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

And the clattering syncopated loop that repeats through “Oblivion” is there mostly as a contrast to the wispy and diaphanous vocals, which are so thin and leavened with reverb that they threaten to float away.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 21, 2025

In court, Sheeran's team accepted that the two songs share a similar syncopated chord pattern.

From BBC • Jun. 17, 2025

Each one’s momentary glow pulses alive and fades in syncopated rhythm with the drowsy croaks of bullfrogs.

From Salon • May 10, 2024

Notice that the syncopated notes in the melody come on the second and fourth quarters of the beat, essentially alternating with the strong eighth-note pattern laid down in the accompaniment.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones